Altrincham residents were treated to an unexpected guest this year as former X-Factor winner Shayne Ward popped into a local pub to join in with some Christmas karaoke.
The singer who won the 2005 edition of the reality show and originally hails from Tameside found himself over Trafford way this holiday season and gave those enjoying a sing-song after a few pints a real surprise last week.
If you’ve spent a decent amount of time in the area, you’ll know The Station Hotel is the place for karaoke and, as it turns out, it’s also the place to see Shayne Ward singing a beloved British ballad.
Who knew when he sang ‘That’s My Goal’ he was talking about delighting crowds in a quaint market town during the festive period?
As you can see, the 40-year-old solo artist turned actor has still got it, delivering a soulful rendition of the Elton John classic ‘Sacrifice’ to a small crowd inside the cosy Alty boozer.
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Obviously, the Coronation Street and Good Ship Murder star didn’t need to look at the lyrics for even one second and this is probably one of the best performances the pub has ever or will ever see.
He even manages to take a quick break during the instrumental to grab a nonchalant swig of his drink. Very casual indeed.
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Let’s be honest, though: the real star of the show is that woman singing along to every word and pulling out all the stops to remind everyone that no matter who is up on the mic, this is karaoke and you’re obliged to have absolutely zero inhibitions.
Queen.
S̶l̶a̶y̶Sleigh*She ate, as the kids would say. (Credit: The Station Hotel via Facebook)
He may not be releasing tonnes of music or claiming any Christmas number ones these days, but the Greater Manchester native is no stranger to performing.
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As well as various jobs on telly and even a few movie roles here and there over the years, Ward also appeared on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing, ultimately being voted out back in November in one of the most controversial and unpopular decisions of the 2024 season.
That being said, whatever questions may loom over his dance moves, there’s no question he’s still got a great voice and we hope to see him hopping on karaoke somewhere in town again soon.
Featured Images — The Station Hotel (screenshot via Facebook)
Audio
An incredible performance of Marvel’s ‘Infinity Saga’ by a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
If you’re a massive Marvel fan or just love the full body, sweeping sound of a live orchestra, then this one is for you, as an audio-visual concert experience of the ‘Infinity Saga’ is coming to Manchester.
‘AVENGERS!… Assemble…’
Whatever you make of superhero films and TV, one thing that never comes into question in these titles is the music: it’s always powerful, uplifting, moving, sometimes chilling and the absolute epitome of what it is to sound cinematic.
That being said, there is no bigger movie franchise on the planet than the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and now you can witness the awe-inspiring soundtracks behind their 23-film collection of films played in person by the Novello Orchestra right here in our hometown.
After first debuting back in August 2024 at a sell-out Hollywood Bowl – which saw the Los Angeles Philharmonic Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel bring the iconic scores to life on stage in front of thousands of movie and music fans – the comic book characters are superhero-landing in Europe.
Better yet, 2025 also marks the debut UK tour of Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience, with just six lucky cities being selected to enjoy the show; two London shows have been announced along with two in Scotland, but you can bank on Manchester being the best. It always is.
Set to take place at the veritable entertainment institution that is the beautiful Bridgewater Hall for just one night only, audiences will be treated to movie scores from The Avengers, Iron Man, Black Panther, Black Widow, Thor, Captain America, Captain Marvel, The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man and MANY more.
Showcasing original compositions by the likes of Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman, Ludwig Göransson, Michael Giacchino, Ramin Djawadi and several other classical experts who have created unforgettable cinematic soundscapes, it promises to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Here’s just a glimpse of what you can expect:
The best audio-visual moments in Marvel history performed by a live orchestra in Manchester – it’s a sci-fi/fantasy fan’s dream.
Officially licensed Disney Concerts and in full collaboration with Marvel Studios’ live experiences team, the Hall will get to enjoy a unique way of not just rewatching but truly reliving some of the most legendary sequences and sounds from all 23 films in the MCU’s unparalleled Infinity Saga.
Without giving too much away, we think it’s fair to say you can expect the performance to culminate in one of the best movie moments and all-time greatest live cinema experiences: Marvel’s magnum opus and conclusion to the saga, Endgame — it feels strange to think that was 2019 by the way.
The Infinity Saga Concert Experience comes to Manchester on 8 June and tickets will be available from 10am this Friday, 7 February. You can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Videogame fans can expect a similar live score experience coming to another magical venue later this year too.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press Image (supplied via Bridgewater Hall)
Audio
Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | January 2025
Danny Jones
Happy New Year! Can you really get away with that at the end of January?… Who knows?
Either way, 2025 is underway and we just know it’s going be another fantastic 365 days for music.
If you’re new here then first off, hello – we appreciate you clicking and hope you’ll be back here on a regular basis; secondly, for those of you who joined us in 2024, you know the drill: every month we put together a list of Greater Manchester music we’ve been listening to over the past few weeks.
It is to our perennial sadness that we’ll never be able to ‘complete’ all of the music that will ever be released in the world, but we can certainly give keeping up with everything 0161 is doing and has done a good old go or so help us, almighty tunage gods! Enough pratting about, let’s get stuck in:
Five Manchester bands and artists we’ve been listening to recently
1. Casino Club
Ok, landing our inaugural artist nod of 2025 is a group we truly believe is going to go very far this year and part of what is a promising new creative boom down the road in the WN postcode area.
That’s right, we’re heading to Wigan first and foremost and giving a very big shout-out to local band, Casino Club, who are helping spearhead the next generation of music coming out of the Greater Manchester borough. This isn’t just indie rock, it’s indie rock and roll that we’re very excited about.
With rip-roaring guitar riffs that hint at everything from Green Day to Sterephonics and Catfish, as well as frontman Marcus Grimshaw’s fantastic vocals, they’ve struck an infectious and extremely listenable balance already. As for songs, there are plenty, but we’d say start with ‘The Fear’, ‘Kick a Hole Into the Sun’ and ‘Runaway’.
Buzzing to announce our new single ‘Begging You’ will release on 14•02•25
Oh yeah, we do old bands too; this series is just as much about spotlighting perhaps forgotten or underrated Manc music as it is about the new blood and The Chameleons are a great example of that.
The Middleton-formed band came to the fore at the start of the 80s when so many other massive names were coming through the Greater Manchester scene, so it was hard to carve out even a slither of the spotlight let alone one rivalling the likes of The Smiths, New Order, Inspiral Carpets and so on.
But make no mistake, this lot are still going strong, with a die-hard following eagerly awaiting their new album. It might sound like a sweeping generalisation but their sound does typify that era. Most will start with ‘The Swamp Thing’ but their 1993 debut album Script From The Bridge is still their best.
Now up next is a singer-songwriter and chief Manc music queen in charge of ‘devastating alt-pop’: her words, not ours – though we do to tend agree and heartily recommend you give her a listen. She’s actually been going since 2016, unbelievably, but she’s gaining more and more traction year after year.
The BIMM graduate was actually born over in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, but she’s been studying, living and making a new for herself here in Manchester for a good long while now, so yes, we’re absolutely claiming her as one of our own – especially after becoming a Neighbourhood Festival fave.
Her style has definitely evolved but, more importantly, there’s no genre she won’t put a distorted electronic twist on. At present, you’ll get notes of St Vincent, 070 Shake, MARINA and more; ‘Break My Heart’ and ‘Lucky Me’ make for the perfect starting point and ‘IDK’ was on Killing Eve. ‘Nuff said.
Our penultimate pick for January is the iconic electronic and techno outfit 808 State, who made new waves with their sound in the late 1980s, well into the 90s and are partly still going to this day.
If you’ve never come across them before, their influence on modern electronica and the wider dance music is massive, not only being labelled among the pioneers of acid house but former member Gerald Simpson (A Guy Called Gerald) went on to lay the foundations for what would go on to become jungle.
That’s right: we have them to thank for not just drum and bass but many sub-genres of electronic music as a whole. With such and varied long career (even if it’s only co-founder Graham Massey now) there’s plenty to enjoy: ‘Cübik’, ‘Spanish Heart’, and the Bicep remix of ‘In Yer Face’, just to name a few.
They took their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which also played a big role in revolutionising modern music production.
5. The Falls
Last but not least, we’re giving an early seal of approval to a young bunch of lads going by ‘The Falls’ and while they might not sound anything like the predecessors from Prestwich – with which their name differs only because it’s a plural – we’re hoping they’re bound for similar success.
Hailing from Salford, this fledgling four-piece has barely even got going yet but they’ve definitely got a good feel for the indie warehouse from the off and
They’ve only released four songs thus far too, so you can get on board with these boys early doors. ‘The Millionth Time’ and ‘Waiting For Yesterday’ promise lots of solo showing off in the future, and the loose-wristed main riff on ‘My mind’ almost reminds us of the fast-paced part of ‘Shiver’ by Coldplay before turning into something very different. We look forward to seeing where they go.
And just like that, the first Manc artists of the round-up of the year is all said and done – we hope enjoyed it and at least we’re introduced to a couple of names you haven’t come across before.
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That’s basically how it works: we’ll be back here, ‘same bat-time, same bat-place’ every month with another batch of Manchester bands, solo artists and more for you to feast your ears on.
Until next time, you can get stuck into our final round-up from 2024 down below, not to mention all the others from last year and, as always, keep your eyes peeled on Audio North for all the big and interesting music news.
Oh, and of course, if there are any Manchester artists that you think we should check out then let us know in the comments.
Danny Jones -
29th December 2024 
